Spreadable coupler for ho gage model railroad vehicles



SPREADABLE COUPLER FOR HO GAGE MODEL RAILROAD VEHICLES Filed Nov. 3.1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS ATTORNEY y 1964 B. H. GOLDBECK ETAL3,140,734

SPREADABLE COUPLER FOR HO GAGE MODEL RAILROAD VEHICLES Filed Nov. 5,1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l NVENTO RS Vie/bot W I 10 BY ATTORNEY UnitedStates Patent 3,140,784 SPREADABLE COUPLER FOR HO GAGE MODEL RAILROADVEHICLES Bernard H. Goidheck, West Haven, and Victor V. DAmato, NewHaven, Conn., assignors to The A. C. Gilbert Company, New Haven, Conn acorporation of Maryland Filed Nov. 3, 1960, Ser. No. 67,015 4 Claims.(Cl. 213--75) This invention relates to couplers unified with orseparate from wheeled railway trucks to serve as draft connectionbetween miniature cars in toy or model railroading, and particularly tocoupler equipped car trucks based on new principles of simplifiedconstruction set forth and claimed in a copending application, SerialNo. 60,515, filed October 4, 1960.

The truck and coupler construction disclosed in the copendingapplication is of a style wherein uncoupling is mechanicallyaccomplished automatically by the travel of interengaged coupler headspast diverging lateral cam surfaces of a ramp stationed on the trackbed, which diverging surfaces are encountered by uncoupling lugs orstrikers that depend from the traveling interengaged coupler heads in amanner to spread them laterally to cause uncoupling.

In a still smaller size of model railroad rolling stock known as HO gageit has been the practice to cause uncoupling by means of a rampstationed on the track bed presenting converging instead of diverginglateral cam surfaces. Such converging ramp surfaces can likewise be madeto spread apart the component sections of interengaged coupler heads tocause uncoupling and are shown so to act in the herein disclosed form ofthe invention. An uncoupling ramp of this style is adapted to cooperatewith a conventional type of NMRA coupler as herein illustrated and alsowith a modified version of a coupler having all of the structuraladvantages that characterize the coupler disclosed in the aforesaidcopending application. Such modified version is shown herein tocooperate optionally with a mating coupler of like kind with theadvantage that both kinds of couplers become universallyinterchangeable.

Accordingly an object of these improvements is to adapt the improvedstyle of coupler disclosed in the aforesaid copending application to thevery small HO gage size of model railroad rolling stock so modified inconstruction that it will releasably engage with a like coupler or witha conventional type of NMRA coupler which latter, accordingly to currentpractices of the National Model Railroad Association, incorporates adrawbar that swings horizontally from a pivotal connection directly tothe chassis or body of the railroad vehicle and is independent of thewheeled truck which supports the vehicle.

The foregoing and related objects of the invention will appear in fullerparticular from the following description of a preferred form of theinvention having reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of fragments of HO size miniature railway vehiclesriding on a toy or model railway track with draft connection in the formof coupling means releasable by the camming action of converging sidesof an uncoupling ramp stationed on the track bed.

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the parts shown in FIG. 1 taken partially insection on the planes 222 in FIG. 1 looking in the direction of thearrows.

3,140,784 Patented July 14, 1964 FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view showingthe coupler hooks disengaged.

FIG. 4 is a view taken in section on the plane 44 in FIG. 1, looking inthe direction of the arrows.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view looking downward on an integral truck andcoupler detached from associated parts.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view looking endwise at thespreadable coupler head of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing one of the couplers of thelatter figure engaged with a conventional NMRA coupler in a manner torespond to the uncoupling effect of the ramp of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a view taken in section on the planes 8-8--8 in FIG. 7 lookingin the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary view showing the coupler hooks of FIG. 7disengaged.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the coupler heads of FIG. 9 separatedby the drawing apart of the vehicles after uncoupling has taken place.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, parts of the body of a miniature railroad vehicle,such as a car or locomotive of a toy or model train, are designated 12and are pivotally supported on trucks 13 whose wheels 14 ride on trackrails 15 that are fixedly connected by the usual ties or sleepers 16.Two such trucks are shown with draft connection whereby either car canhaul the other. For this purpose the draft connection includes couplerscomprising a spreadable coupler head 20 at the free end of a drawbarshank that is divided longitudinally to provide the separateside-by-side arms 22 and 23 which characterize the present improvements.

The arms 22 and 23, as is the entire framework of the truck shown inFIG. 8, are parts of an integral body of molded plastic material havingsuch resilient properties that the lateral thinness of each arm makesthe arm so limber or flexible that the spreadable sections of thecoupler head 20 are easily separable laterally to an extent that ispositively limited by engagement of a stop lug 24 on the arm 22 with asimilar stop lug 25 on the arm 23. The stop lugs 24 and 25 hereinillustrated are L-shaped so as to interengage at their respectiveterminals and are further of such disposition that their terminals areslightly spaced laterally when the arms 22 and 23 normally occupy a headclosing position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5.

Arm 22 carries and is integral with a terminal hook formation 30laterally spaced from a terminal guide tongue formation 31 that iscarried by and integral with the free end of arm 23. Each of arms 22 and23 stems from and is integral with a horizontal bolster plate 32 that isconnected by cross beam sections 33 to the side bars 34, all of whichare integral portions of the singlepiece framework of the truck.

The bolster plate 32 and cross beam sections 33 are completely splitthrough at 35 in a manner to afford ability of the thus divided halfportions of the bolster plate and cross beam to spring apartsuificiently within their elastic limit to enable the bolster plate tosnap over the head 36 of a pivotal stud that fixedly depends from thevehicle body 12. The bearing hole 38 in bolster plate 32 is normally alittle smaller than the maximum girth of stud head 36. Stud 37 is longenough to afford free rotary movement between a lug 39 that depends fromvehicle body 12 and the bolster plate 32. Thus the wheeled truck as awhole can swivel freely about the vertical axis of stud 37 relatively tothe vehicle body.

shears i The side bars 34 of the truck contain bearing holes in the formof dead-ended sockets in which the ends of the wheel axles 47 arejournaled. Each side bar is sufiiciently thin in cross section to makeit so limber in a lateral direc tion that the corresponding ends ofopposite side bars which contain bearing holes 46 can spring apart farenough to admit the wheel axle 47 to the bearing holes without exceedingthe elastic limit of the resilient plastic material of the side arms.After the axle is assembled in place the side arms automatically restorethemselves to their original normal spacing and thus hold each axle 47with the wheels 14 fixed thereon in its bearings.

Depending from each hooked section 30 of each coupler head there is anuncoupling finger 50 that has a down ward extending striker 52 carriedat the opposite side of the longitudinal center line of the coupler fromthe arm 22. On the track bed between rails 15 there is stationed a ramp51 preferably of insulative material and of the narrowing channel stylecomprising spaced apart deflector bars 53 whose surfaces 54, that faceeach other, converge from an abutment 55 where bars 53 are mounted onthe track bed to form a straight, narrow channel 56 of slightly greaterwidth than the thickness of finger strikers 52. Bars 53 rise from thelevel of the track bed to a height to be encountered by the fingerstrikers 50 as their surfaces 54 converge so that when the hookedformations of mating coupler heads are interengaged as in FIG. 1 thestrikers 52 come into wiping contact with the converging surfaces 54 ofthe ramp 51 in such manner that the strikers are cammed into commonalignment with the longitudinal center line of the coupler thus causingthe hooked formations of the coupler heads to disengage and uncouple the'cars. Upon being brought together again by the approach of two cars, inthe absence of ramp 51, the convex camming surfaces of the mutuallymeeting hook formations 30 will cause a sufficient spreading of thecoupling head sections, as permitted by the limberness of arms 22 and23, to pass through their position shown in FIG. 3 and into theinterengaged relationship shown in FIG. 1.

In the relationship of interengaging shapes shown in FIG. 1 it will befound that no departure of the two coupled together trucks fromrectilineal alignment, as occasioned for instance by traveling on curvedtrack, can produce uncoupling of the hook formations because no forcewill be present to cause the coupling head sections to spread tosuficient extent as for instance in FIG. 3. Spreading to such extent isoccasioned only by encountering the camming action of the uncouplingramp 51. At all other times the hook formations cling reliably togethereven though their tip ends are not sufficiently interlocked to resistthe uncoupling action of the ramp.

The ability of the improved form of coupler shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 toco-act with a coupler for H scale rolling stock that is conventional instandardized practice of the National Model Railroad Association (hereinreferred to as NMRA) is illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 10, inclusive, whereina typical NMRA coupler is seen to comprise a short draw bar 60 havingintegral therewith an end hook 61 and a guide tongue 62 along with anoffset depending finger 63 carrying the farther downward dependinguncoupling striker 63 that rides at the same level as striker 52 of thecoupler head 20.

Drawbar 60 is pivotally anchored on the vertical shank of a screw 65which secures the cover 66 of a box compartment 67 that depends from thechassis 68 of a conventional vehicle of HO gage size that is pivotallysupported by and rides on a conventional wheeled truck 69. Drawbar 60 isconstantly biased counterclockwise about pivot screw 65 in FIGS. 7 andby a spring 70 to a normal position of swing determined by engagement ofthe drawbar 60 with the side wall of box compartment 67 in whichposition the guide tongue 62, upon the coming together of two vehiclesto be coupled, will cam against the hook formation 30 on coupler headand produce automatic coupling interengagement of the hooks and 61 justas will occur between two mating coupler heads like those of FIG. 1.A150 as in FIG. 9, the riding of :stnkers 52 and 64 into the narrowingchannel 56 between theuncoupling bars 53 of ramp 51, brings thesestrikers f;fering points lengthwise of the ramp, such points being:spaced along the ramp to accord with the spacing along the track ofstrikers 52, 52 in FIGS. 1 and 3, or of strikers :52 and 64, in FIGS. 7and 9, when cars are coupled to- ;gether. This results in the action ofthe ramp bars 53 -on the strikers of both couplers taking placesimultaneiously as the couplers approach or leave the ramp.

The simplified coupler of these improvements will be i :seen to reactwith the uncoupling ramp 51 according to :usual practice in the art,namely the constant bias of the :spring arm 22 or 22' in the improvedcoupler, as does :the spring 70 in FIG. 9, normally acts to urge theuntcoupler hooks into mutual engagement. Such engagement :automaticallymaintains and keeps the cars coupled to- ;gether while passing the rampas long as the leading car is ihauling the trailing car with enoughpulling force to pre- -vent the hooks 3t), 30 or 30, 61 from beingthrust laterally out of mutual engagement by the sidewise pressure ofthe bars 53 on strikers 52, 52 or 52, 64 which pressure op- ;poses thecoupling tendency of spring arms 22, 22 or -;spring arm 22 and spring70. However, if slack is per- 'mitted to develop in the drag of theleading car on the trailing car while the strikers are between the rampbars the uncoupling pressure of the ramp bars on one or both pairs ofstrikers 52, 52 or 52', 64 is suificient to overcome the bias of springarms 22, 22 or spring arm 22 and :spring 70, whereupon uncouplingautomatically occurs .and maintains so that either car can be left atthe ramp .and the other withdrawn therefrom along the track.

It is within the scope of these improvements that the shank arms 22 and23 may stem from a hub pivotally connected to the chassis or body ofvehicle 12 independently of the truck 13 as the drawbar 6t) stems frompivot '65 by which it is swung from vehicle 68 independently of truck 69in FIG. 7. This and other departures from the exact construction andarrangement of parts embodying the invention are intended to be coveredby the appended claims if coming within a broad interpretation of therecital thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A one-piece combined truck and releasable coupler for model railroadrolling stock comprising in a single body of continuous material, awheeled truck frame adapted to underlie and pivotally support therolling stock, separate resilient extensions of said truck frame formingsidewise limber arms spaced apart on respectively oppozsite sides of amedial vertical reference plane parallelling the path of travel of saidtruck, and coupler head members formed respectively by laterally spacedapart free end portions of said arms, whereby sidewise flexure of toneof said arms causes its said coupler head member to move toward or awayfrom said median plane and the other coupling head member, one of thesaid coupler head members terminating in a guide tongue that divergessidewise from said medial plane, and the other of said head membershaving a hook-shaped terminal together with an uncoupling strikerdepending therefrom on the opposite side of said medial plane.

2. A one-piece combined truck and releasable coupler as defined in claim1, in which the said uncoupling striker is on the same side of the saidmedial reference plane as the said guide tongue.

3. A one-piece combined truck and releasable coupler as defined in claim1, in which the said uncoupling striker is of angular shape and includesa portion that normally extends laterally across the said medialreference plane.

4. Coupling and uncoupling means for model railroad 3,140,784 5 6rolling stock comprising a one-piece combined truck and References Citedin the file of this patent releasable coupler as defined in claim 1,together with UNITED STATES PATENTS at least two track-bed supportedtraction rails of a model railroad extending along respectively oppositesides of the 2,157,187 Rexford May 9, 1939 said medial reference plane,and a ramp stationed on 5 2,631,740 Watson Mar. 17, 1953 said track-bedbetween said rails presenting laterally to 2,944,683 Joseph July 12,1960 the said uncoupling striker an operative camming edge archingtoward said median plane in the normal path of FOIFEIGN PATENTS travelof said striker, whereby to force the latter into said 193,282 Austria 11957 medial plane for uncoupling said rolling stock.

1. A ONE-PIECE COMBINED TRUCK AND RELEASABLE COUPLER FOR MODEL RAILROADROLLING STOCK COMPRISING IN A SINGLE BODY OF CONTINUOUS MATERIAL, AWHEELED TRUCK FRAME ADAPTED TO UNDERLIE AND PIVOTALLY SUPPORT THEROLLING STOCK, SEPARATE RESILIENT EXTENSIONS OF SAID TRUCK FRAME FORMINGSIDEWISE LIMBER ARMS SPACED APART ON RESPECTIVELY OPPOSITE SIDES OF AMEDIAL VERTICAL REFERENCE PLANE PARALLELLING THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SAIDTRUCK, AND COUPLER HEAD MEMBERS FORMED RESPECTIVELY BY LATERALLY SPACEDAPART FREE END PORTIONS OF SAID ARMS, WHEREBY SIDEWISE FLEXURE OF ONE OFSAID ARMS CAUSES ITS SAID COUPLER HEAD MEMBER TO MOVE TOWARD OR AWAYFROM SAID MEDIAN PLANE AND THE OTHER COUPLING HEAD MEMBER, ONE OF THESAID COUPLER